Some 5,100 tons of garbage which has been in the Philippines for four months now will be returned to South Korea at the earliest possible moment, according to the Embassy of Korea in the Philippines on Thursday, November 22.
In its statement, the South Korean government said it will “take measures to have the wastes in question be brought back to Korea as soon as possible.”
The Philippine government discovered these illegal plastic wastes which include used dextrose tubes, used diapers, batteries, bulbs, and electronic equipment shipped from South Korea at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Misamis Oriental on July 21.
“The Ministry of Environment on November 21 initiated legal procedure to have the wastes in question in the Philippines be brought back in accordance with Article 20 of the Law on Cross-border movement and Disposal of Wastes—Prior Notice of Repatriation Order—and embarked on investigation of the violation of Article 18-2 of the said law—False Export Declaration,” the embassy said.
On November 16, Korea’s Ministry of Environment and its Customs Service conducted a joint investigation on the exporter of the waste located in Pyeongtaek city in South Korea and said the exporter “made export declaration on waste synthetic highly polymerized compound” last January 2018.
The investigators, however, found in the exporter’s business site plastic wastes mixed with alien materials like waste woods or metals that did not go through a proper recycling process.
“The Korea Customs Service is investigating the exporter in question for the possibility of its exporting of wastes with illegitimately prepared export documentation,” it said.
“The Customs Service also took a step to forbid the shipment of goods in question waiting to be shipped,” it continued, adding that the Korean government will not let the issue recur again.
EcoWaste Coalition lauded the move of the Korean government to resolve the garbage problem.
“This early, we say ‘kamsa hamnida’ to Korea for doing the right thing and for respecting our nation’s right not to be treated as their waste bin,” EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero said.
The group added that it will not stop being vigilant until the last ton of trash is brought back to its point of origin, culprits will be held liable for their crimes, and environmental justice is obtained.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier vowed to immediately take appropriate action to the issue, saying that it won’t let the problem continue.
DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management Benny Antiporda noted that the Environmental Department is conducting a waste analysis and characterization study (WACS) on the shipment.
“Appropriate action,” he added, will immediately be taken once the result of the WACS is revealed.
[READ: DENR vows to find solution over garbage shipped from S. Korea]